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SAP® Signavio Import Integration

Learn how to import your SAP Signavio data into Ardoq.

Nicholas Boyd avatar
Written by Nicholas Boyd
Updated this week

SAP® Signavio can be integrated with Ardoq to align detailed process maps with broader enterprise goals. By connecting process insights from SAP® Signavio with Ardoq’s models, organizations can ensure that operation workflows support architectural standards and business strategies. The integration enhances decision making, facilitates compliance, optimizes resource allocation, and drives digital transformation by providing a holistic view of process effectiveness and architectural alignment within the enterprise framework.

Please note:The speed of the import is impacted by API volume constraints put in place by SAP® Signavio.

Video walkthrough of the SAP® Signavio Importer

How to set up the SAP® Signavio integration

You must first have a SAP® Signavio account to set up a SAP® Signavio integration. If you would like to test the integration capabilities, you can register for a free account at Signavio.com. The integration works with both paid and trial accounts.

To get started, first navigate to your instance of SAP® Signavio, click the help icon in the top-right corner, and copy the Workspace ID:

Next, in Ardoq, navigate to Home > Imports and integrations from the Ardoq main menu and select the SAP Signavio Importer integration. Go to the Connections tab and create a new connection.

You'll need to fill out the following details to establish the connection:

  1. Connection name: Any name you'd like to call the connection. You'll use this connection when you move to importing Signavio data.

  2. Base URL: (this is the domain in your Signavio account URL, in this example, our Signavio account is accessed at https://editor.signavio.com)

  3. Enter your the username and password for the Signavio account. Keep in mind that this user account should have the appropriate privileges to read from and write to the Signavio tenant. We recommend using a service account that isn't tied to any particular person.

  4. Workspace ID (or Tenant ID): This is the ID we copied from Signavio.

Click Connect to validate the connection.

Select Data

Select Connection

Select the connection you created in the previous step.

Select tables (data entities) and fields

The Signavio importer integration supports importing the following data entities from Signavio:

Data Entity

Definition

Dictionary Categories

Top-level dictionary parent collection.

Examples: “Departments”, “Activities”, “IT Systems”, “Roles”, etc.

Dictionary Entries

Entries belonging to dictionary category parents.

Examples: “Human Resources”, “Employee Onboarding”, “Workday”, “Head of HR”, etc.

Processes

An end-to-end process composed of activities.

Examples: “Verify Applicant”, “Procure Parts”, etc.

Activities

The actions or activities that make up an end-to-end process.

Examples: “Clarify questions with the department”, “Check quality and quantity”, etc.

Process Categories

The categorical parent of a collection of processes.

Example: “Support Processes” is the process category of the “Employee Onboarding” process, which can be further decomposed into the supporting activities such as “Set up access rights, hardware and software”.

Select Fields

After selecting each table, you can also choose the corresponding field to be included in the import. The following fields are available per table:

  • Dictionary Categories:

    • Dictionary category ID: The unique ID belonging to each imported dictionary category. Importing this ID allows linking dictionary entries to their respective Dictionary Category parent

    • Dictionary category name: The name of the dictionary category (e.g. “IT Applications”)

    • Parent dictionary category ID: If the dictionary category has a parent, the ID will be contained in this field

  • Dictionary Entries:

    • Dictionary entry ID: The unique ID belonging to each imported dictionary entry. Importing this ID allows linking dictionary entries to their respective Dictionary Category parent

    • Dictionary entry name: The name of the dictionary entry (e.g. “Windows 11”)

    • Description: Any text included in the dictionary entry’s description field within Signavio

    • Signavio dictionary entry URL: The unique URL to the dictionary entry in Signavio. This field can be imported to create a clickable link from Ardoq components to navigate directly to the corresponding dictionary entry within Signavio.com when clicked

  • Processes:

    • Process ID: The unique ID for each end-to-end process. This can be used to link processes to their underlying activities.

    • Process name: The name of the process.

    • Process parent category ID: The ID of the parent category that the process belongs to. This is useful for linking processes to their categorical parent.

    • Description: The description of the process as created and shown within Signavio.

    • Signavio process URL: The unique URL to the Process in Signavio. This field can be imported to create a clickable link from Ardoq components to navigate directly to the corresponding process within Signavio.com when clicked.

  • Activities:

    • Activity unique ID: The unique ID for each activity. This can be used to link activities to parent processes they are performed within.

    • Activity name: The name of the activity.

    • Activity type: The BPMN activity classification type (e.g. “task” or “processCollapsed” for a collapsed sub process).

    • Parent process ID: The unique ID of the parent process. This is required in order to link an activity to the parent process that contains it.

    • Description: The description of the activity as created and shown within Signavio.

    • Signavio process activity URL: The unique URL to the activity in Signavio. This field can be imported to create a clickable link from Ardoq.

    • NB!: There will be additional “custom attributes” available for Activities in the next step of the import if they are present in Signavio. For example, there may be custom attribute called “accountable” in an activity that specifies which employee role is accountable for the activity. In such a case, there will be a column called “accountable” in the next step of the import mapping for the Activities table.

  • Process Categories:

    • Process category ID: The unique ID for each process category. This can be used to processes to their parent categories.

    • Parent process category ID: The unique ID for the parent process category (if exists), as well as recreating process folder structure within Ardoq. This can be used to link process categories to a parent process category. Example: “Human Resources is a parent category to the “Onboarding”category.

    • Process category name: The name of the process category.

    • Description: The description of the process category as created and shown within Signavio.

    • Signavio folder URL: The unique URL to the process category folder in Signavio. This field can be imported to create a clickable link from Ardoq to the folder within the process folder directory in Signavio.

Filtering Fields

There are import limitations if your process environment is complex and has many processes, sub-processes, and activities. In this case, we offer a number of filtering tools to help you import only relevant categories and processes.

We have filters available for the following tables:

  • Dictionary categories

  • Process categories

  • Activities

The workings of each filter are explained in more detail below.

Dictionary Categories

By default, all Dictionary Categories will be retrieved from SAP Signavio. Using the filter dropdown menu will allow you to select only the specific categories to be retrieved.

Process Categories

You can filter Process Categories using the Query button in the top-right corner of the field selection:

If have a complicated landscape with hundreds of process categories, you may experience long loading times with the process category filter. You can reach out to us to enable a bulk filter based on process IDs.

In the bulk filter, process categories are retrieved using their process IDs, which can be input using a comma-separated list.

You can find process IDs in Signavio by going to the Signavio Process Collaboration Hub and selecting a relevant process category. The ID of the Process Category can be found in the address bar of your browser:

Once you've created a list of relevant process categories, add them to the filter and click Apply. When moving on to the next step in Ardoq, only the process categories that you selected will be retrieved from Signavio.

Activities

Activities can be filtered by their activity type, which can be retrieved from the Process Collaboration Hub.

Map data and relationships

There are several use cases that can be supported in the current version of the Signavio importer. This documentation outlines the following use cases:

  1. Import only dictionary entries

  2. Import only processes and process categories

  3. Import processes + activities

  4. Import processes + activities + relations to other dictionary entries (IT applications, roles, etc.)

1 Import only dictionary entries (and respective categories)

To import only dictionary entries and their categories, follow these steps:

Configure the Dictionary Category tab

  1. Click Create New Import and select your source Signavio connection

  2. Click on the “Dictionary Categories” table on the left side, then click Add all to add all of the default fields

  3. Next, click the “Dictionary Entries” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  4. Click Fetch data

  5. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  6. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name

  7. On the “Dictionary Categories” tab, configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  8. Repeat the same step for “Dictionary category name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to Dictionary category”

  9. Repeast the same step for “Parent dictionary id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Dictionary category id”

    3. Repeat the same step for Signavio dictionary category URL” and choose “field” as the column type

Configure the Dictionary Entries tab

  1. Click the Dictionary Entries import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Dictionary entry name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Dictionary entry”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Parent dictionary category ID” and select “Parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Dictionary category id”

  7. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  8. Repeat the same step for “Signavio dictionary entry URL” and select “Field” as the column type

  9. Click Review import

  10. You should now see the number of components to be created and can click Import my data

    1. Note: You may see warnings for duplicate component entries. This is normal when importing data of this structure

It is beneficial to save your created configuration in the case where you would like to import dictionary entries in combination with other data such as activities or activities and processes.

2 Import only processes and process categories

To import only dictionary entries and their categories, follow these steps:

Configure the Process Category tab

  1. Click Create New Import and select your source Signavio connection

  2. Click on the “Processes” table on the left side, then click Add all to add all of the default fields

  3. Next, click the “Process Categories” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  4. Click Fetch data

  5. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  6. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name

  7. On the “Process Categories” tab, configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  8. Repeat the same step for “Parent process category id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Process category id”

  1. Repeat the same step for “Process category id” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Process category”

  2. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  3. Repeat the same step for Signavio folder URL” and choose “field” as the column type

Configure the Processes tab

  1. Click the Processes import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Process name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Process”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Parent process category id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Process category id”

  7. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  8. Repeat the same step for Signavio process URL” and choose “field” as the column type

  9. Click Review import

You should now see the number of components to be created and can click Import my data

Note: You may see warnings for duplicate component entries. This is normal when importing data of this structure. It is beneficial to save your created configuration in the case where you would like to import processes in combination with other data such as activities or dictionary entries

3 Import only processes and activities

To import only dictionary entries and their categories, follow these steps:

Note: If you have already created a configuration for importing processes and process categories, you can create a new copy of that configuration and add activities to it.

Configure the Process Category tab

  1. Click Create New Import and select your source Signavio connection

  2. Click on the “Processes” table on the left side, then click Add all to add all of the default fields

  3. Next, click the “Process Categories” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  4. Next, click on the “Activities” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  5. Click Fetch data

  6. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  7. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name

  8. On the “Process Categories” tab, configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  9. Repeat the same step for “Parent process category id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Process category id”

  1. Repeat the same step for “Process category id” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Process category”

  2. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  3. Repeat the same step for Signavio folder URL” and choose “field” as the column type

Configure the Processes tab

  1. Click the Processes import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Process name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Process”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Parent process category id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Process category id”

  7. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  8. Repeat the same step for Signavio process URL” and choose “field” as the column type

Configure the Activities tab

  1. Click the Activities import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Activity name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Activity”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Activity type” and select “Field” as the column type

  7. Repeat the same step for “Parent process id” and select “Reference” as the column type

    1. Choose the Incoming Reference direction

    2. Choose the source workspace for the process (if you are also importing processes in this import session then choose the destination workspace specified in the Processes tab, otherwise choose a previously existing process workspace)

    3. Leave “If source is missing” option to “Block the import” unless otherwise desired

    4. Choose “Process id” in the Field name dropdown

  8. Choose the column type “Description” for the Description column

  9. Repeat the same step for Signavio process activity URL” and choose “field” as the column type

  10. Scroll through the remaining columns to find any additional custom attributes associated with activities that you would like to include as a component field in Ardoq

  11. Click Review import

You should now see the number of components to be created and can click Import my data.

Note: You may see warnings for duplicate component entries. This is normal when importing data of this structure.

Note: It is beneficial to save your created configuration in the case where you would like to import processes and activities in combination with other data such as associated dictionary entries like Roles or IT systems.

4 Import only processes, activities, and associated dictionary entries (IT systems, roles, capabilities, etc.)

Configure the Process Category tab

  1. Click Create New Import and select your source Signavio connection

  2. Click on the “Processes” table on the left side, then click Add all to add all of the default fields

  3. Next, click the “Process Categories” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  4. Next, click on the “Activities” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  5. Next, click on the “Dictionary Categories” table on the left side, then click Add all to add all of the default fields

  6. Next, click the “Dictionary Entries” table on the left column and then click Add all to add all available fields

  7. Click Fetch data

  8. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  9. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name

  10. On the “Process Categories” tab, configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  11. Repeat the same step for “Parent process category id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Process category id”

  12. Repeat the same step for “Process category id” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Process category”

  13. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  14. Repeat the same step for Signavio folder URL” and choose “field” as the column type

Configure the Processes tab

  1. Click the Processes import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Process name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Process”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Parent process category id” and choose “parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Process category id”

  7. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type

  8. Repeat the same step for Signavio process URL” and choose “field” as the column type

Configure the Activities tab

  1. Click the Activities import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Activity name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Activity”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Activity type” and select “Field” as the column type

  7. Repeat the same step for “Parent process id” and select “Reference” as the column type

    1. Choose the Incoming Reference direction

    2. Choose the source workspace for the process (if you are also importing processes in this import session then choose the destination workspace specified in the Processes tab, otherwise choose a previously existing process workspace)

    3. Leave “If source is missing” option to “Block the import” unless otherwise desired

    4. Choose “Process id” in the Field name dropdown

  8. Choose the column type “Description” for the Description column

  9. Repeat the same step for Signavio process activity URL” and choose “field” as the column type

  10. Scroll through the remaining columns to find any additional custom attributes associated with activities that you would like to include as a component field in Ardoq

    1. Custom attributes are often prefixed with the “meta” prefix. As an example, if we have an “IT Systems” custom attribute on a Signavio activity, this would appear in the import sheet as “meta-itsystems”. This column would contain the Dictionary entry ID associated with the referenced IT System in the activity.

      To import and reference this IT system, you would perform the following steps:

      1. Find the “meta-itsystems” column

      2. Click the pencil icon to configure it

      3. Select the column type “Reference”

      4. Choose the “Outgoing” reference direction

      5. Choose the target workspace for the dictionary entry

      6. Create the reference type “Is supported by”

      7. Choose the “Custom ID” in the Format dropdown

      8. Choose the field name “Dictionary entry id”

      9. This will link the dictionary entry for the IT System to the activity it supports.

Configure the Dictionary Category tab

  1. Click on the Dictionary Category tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name.

  4. On the “Dictionary Categories” tab, configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type.

  5. Repeat the same step for “Dictionary category name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type.

    1. Change the component type to Dictionary category”

  6. Repeast the same step for “Parent dictionary id” and choose “parent component” as the column type.

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Dictionary category id”

  7. Repeat the same step for Signavio dictionary category URL” and choose “field” as the column type.

Configure the Dictionary Entries tab

  1. Click the Dictionary Entries import tab

  2. Click Components in step 1 of the import mapping

  3. Choose an existing or create new target workspace by typing a new workspace name

  4. Configure the first column by clicking on the pencil icon and choosing “Custom ID” as the column type

  5. Repeat the same step for “Dictionary entry name” and select “Component (name)” as the column type

    1. Change the component type to “Dictionary entry”

  6. Repeat the same step for “Parent dictionary category ID” and select “Parent component” as the column type

    1. Click Format dropdown and choose “Custom ID”

    2. Click Field name dropdown and choose “Dictionary category id”

  7. Repeat the same step for “Description” and select “Description” as the column type.

  8. Repeat the same step for “Signavio dictionary entry URL” and select “Field” as the column type.

  9. Click Review import

  10. You should now see the number of components to be created and can click Import my data.

    1. Note: You may see warnings for duplicate component entries. This is normal when importing data of this structure

  11. It is beneficial to save your created configuration in the case where you would like to import dictionary entries in combination with other data such as activities or activities and processes.

    Note: Ensure hierarchical Signavio data, like Dictionary Categories and Entries, reside in the same Ardoq workspace for optimal organization.

Diagram Preview for Process Diagrams

Ardoq has extended our integrations with process modelling tools like SAP Signavio to allow imports of process diagrams. Imported diagrams can then be previewed within Ardoq without leaving the platform.

Importing Diagrams

When importing processes into Ardoq, keep in mind the Process diagram URL field in your import.

You can map this URL using the new File field type and it will automatically be brought into Ardoq as a document.

Viewing Diagrams

Process diagram previews are currently limited to the Pages view within workspaces:

Clicking on the diagram URL will preview the process diagram within Ardoq with the ability to zoom and download the file:

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